"...Rationalism is an attitude of readiness to listen to
critical arguments and to learn from experience. It is fundamentally an attitude of admitting that " I may be
wrong and you may be right, and by an effort, we may get nearer the truth."KarlPopper
"...philosophers have very little time for discussion. Every
philosopher runs away when he or she hears someone says, Let's discuss this."Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari

On the basis of these two quotations, one would imagine that
any conversation between Gilles Deleuze and Karl Popper would be
destined to be a short one. The differences in approach they represent
are certainly reflected in their comments on each other's ideas: to the
best of my knowledge there are none. Indeed, even in secondary sources
one would rarely expect to find their names referred to in the same
book, let alone on the same page. To put it more precisely, their
respective understandings and practices of philosophy appear so
incompatible as to preclude any "common territory" between them. What they write about, how they write about it, and even who reads them seem to place them, and their ideas, in distinctly different philosophical milieus. There is, however, at least one point on which Deleuze
and Popper could be said to agree unequivocally: they both 'detest' and 'abhor' Hegel, and both posit a relation between Hegelian philosophy and totalising or even totalitarian political formations. (...)

Abstract
Background Drawing on the work of the late French philosophers Deleuze and
Guattari, the objective of this paper is to demonstrate that the evidence-based movement
in the health sciences is outrageously exclusionary and dangerously normative with regards
to scientific knowledge. As such, we assert that the evidence-based movement in health
sciences constitutes a good example of microfascism at play in the contemporary scientific
arena.
Objective The philosophical work of Deleuze and Guattari proves to be useful in showing
how health sciences are colonised (territorialised) by an all-encompassing scientific research
paradigm – that of post-positivism – but also and foremost in showing the process by
which a dominant ideology comes to exclude alternative forms of knowledge, therefore
acting as a fascist structure.
Conclusion The Cochrane Group, among others, has created a hierarchy that has been
endorsed by many academic institutions, and that serves to (re)produce the exclusion of
certain forms of research. Because ‘regimes of truth’ such as the evidence-based movement
currently enjoy a privileged status, scholars have not only a scientific duty, but also an
ethical obligation to deconstruct these regimes of power.
Key words: critique, deconstruction, evidence-based, fascism, health sciences, power.

Collapse III contains explorations of the work of Gilles Deleuze by pioneering thinkers in the fields of philosophy, aesthetics, music and architecture. In addition, we publish in this volume two previously untranslated texts by Deleuze himself, along with a fascinating piece of vintage science fiction from one of his more obscure influences. Finally, as an annex to Collapse Volume II, we also include a full transcription of the conference on 'Speculative Realism' held in London in 2007.

The contributors to this volume aim to clarify, from a variety of perspectives, Deleuze's contribution to philosophy: in what does his philosophical originality lie; what does he appropriate from other philosophers and how does he transform it? And how can the apparently disparate threads of his work to be 'integrated' - what is the precise nature of the constellation of the aesthetic, the conceptual and the political proposed by Gilles Deleuze, and what are the overarching problems in which the numerous philosophical concepts 'signed Deleuze' converge?

7.5.13

Deleuze & Fascism

Security: War: Aesthetics

Read more @ Routledge websiteThis edited volume deploys Deleuzian thinking to re-theorize fascism as a mutable problem in changing orders of power relations dependent on hitherto misunderstood social and political conditions of formation. The book provides a theoretically distinct approach to the problem of fascism and its relations with liberalism and modernity in both historical and contemporary contexts. It serves as a seminal intervention into the debate over the causes and consequences of contemporary wars and global political conflicts as well as functioning as an accessible guide to the theoretical utilities of Deleuzian thought for International Relations (IR) in a manner that is very much lacking in current debates about IR.

Covering a wide array of topics, this volume will provide a set of original contributions focussed in particular upon the contemporary nature of war; the increased priorities afforded to the security imperative; the changing designs of bio-political regimes, fascist aesthetics; nihilistic tendencies and the modernist logic of finitude; the politics of suicide; the specific desires upon which fascism draws and, of course, the recurring pursuit of power.

An important contribution to the field, this work will be of great interest to students and scholars of international relations, fascism and international relations theory.

Brad Evans is a senior lecturer in International Relations at the School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies, the University of Bristol.Julian Reidis Professor of International Relations at the University of Lapland, Finland.

"The editors of this superb volume tell us that 'We are all, always,fascists, of multiple kinds'; the fascism that they speak of, via Deleuze,is not limited to the exploits of Hitler and Nazism. This is the fascismof our own time, a fascism that has deepened and extended even since thetime that Deleuze and Guattari penned. This is the fascism of liberalism itself, the fascism of Kant, of humanism; it is a fascism of desire turned against itself, of the most basic aspects of power and authority. The authors of this volume, extend upon, argue with, probe, and

complicate Deleuze's insights about pervasive fascism; through engagements with western philosophy, science fiction, cinema, Marxism, Foucault, and many other sources, these authors seek to reproblematize and reschematize a fascism that we all partake in, a tendency that, in some sense, we can never fully escape or leave behind. The beauty of this volume is that it explicitly politicizes an endemic crisis, allowing very diverse frames of

reference (historical, aesthetic, theoretical) to mutually engage and contest what must be the greatest challenge of the 21st century." James Martel, San Francisco State University, USA

"When Foucault described Anti-Oedipus as a book for combating the inner fascist in us all his statement was taken at face value and never questioned or investigated. Deleuze and Fascism changes that: it turns Foucault’s claim into a question and problematic and pursues the various lines of flight it opens for us. This is a richly interesting collection of essays with a very serious purpose."-- Ian Buchanan, Editor Deleuze StudiesPicblog: Francis Bacon's painting

The Posthuman offers both an introduction and major contribution to contemporary debates on the posthuman. Digital ′second life′, genetically modified food, advanced prosthetics, robotics and reproductive technologies are familiar facets of our globally linked and technologically mediated societies. This has blurred the traditional distinction between the human and its others, exposing the non–naturalistic structure of the human. The Posthuman starts by exploring the extent to which a post–humanist move displaces the traditional humanistic unity of the subject. Rather than perceiving this situation as a loss of cognitive and moral self–mastery, Braidotti argues that the posthuman helps us make sense of our flexible and multiple identities. Braidotti then analyzes the escalating effects of post–anthropocentric thought, which encompass not only other species, but also the sustainability of our planet as a whole. Because contemporary market economies profit from the control and commodification of all that lives, they result in hybridization, erasing categorical distinctions between the human and other species, seeds, plants, animals and bacteria. These dislocations induced by globalized cultures and economies enable a critique of anthropocentrism, but how reliable are they as indicators of a sustainable future? The Posthuman concludes by considering the implications of these shifts for the institutional practice of the humanities. Braidotti outlines new forms of cosmopolitan neo–humanism that emerge from the spectrum of post–colonial and race studies, as well as gender analysis and environmentalism. The challenge of the posthuman condition consists in seizing the opportunities for new social bonding and community building, while pursuing sustainability and empowerment.

'This is an exciting and important text, full of intellectual brilliance and insight. It will make a major mark.'Henrietta L. Moore, University of Cambridge

'Braidotti's exhilarating survey of the constellation of posthumanity is lucid, learned and provocative. It will be an essential point of reference in future debates about the central philosophical problem of our age.'Paul Gilroy, King’s College London

'Debates over humanism and post-humanism have been fought over from feminist philosophy to literary theory and post-colonial studies. This latest work by Rosi Braidotti presents us with a clear-headed glimpse of some of the hard choices we have before us. Braidotti knows the philosophy, cares about the politics, and empathizes with those who have been shoved aside in these brutal last hundred years. She shows us how feminism, technoscientific infrastructure and political strands cross, sometimes with sparks.'Peter Galison, Harvard University

Rosi Braidotti is a distinguished university professor at Utrecht University and founding director of the Centre for the Humanities.

1.5.13

The essential toolkit for anyone approaching Deleuze for the

first time

When students read Difference and Repetition for the first time, they face two main hurdles: the wide range of sources that Deleuze draws upon and his dense writing style. This Edinburgh Philosophical Guide helps students to negotiate these hurdles, taking them through the text paragraphy by paragraph. It situates Deleuze within Continental philosophy more broadly and explains why he develops his philosophy in his unique way.

If you're a seasoned Deleuzian, there's something here for you too: you won't want to miss Henry Somers-Hall’s new, positive interpretation of Difference and Repetition.